Walmart Supercenter put out to bid

Wal-Mart Corp. is moving forward with its plans for the long-awaited Walmart Supercenter on Bluebonnet Boulevard and Burbank Drive. According to a Data Fax report obtained by Daily Report, the Bentonville, Ark.-based corporation is putting the 160,000-square foot project out to bid on Tuesday, March 12. According to the report, the estimated cost of construction is $7 million, and three pre-qualified contractors are invited to bid: Clark Construction of McComb, Miss.; Crossland Construction of Columbus, Kan.; and Ewing Construction Co. of Corpus Christi, Texas. The total cost of the project—which was announced in 2008 but tabled for several years after the financial crisis began—is more than $11 million. A spokesman for Wal-Mart previously said the store is scheduled to open in mid-2014. The Walmart Supercenter is the latest of several developments in the burgeoning area. Last fall, RaceTrac Petroleum acquired an 80,000-square-foot site directly across from the Walmart site and will open a gas station and convenience store later this spring. Nearby, developer Mike Wampold is getting ready to break ground on the first phase of Harveston, a mixed-use development that will bring housing, retail, offices and nature trails to 1,470 acres on Bluebonnet Boulevard and Nicholson Drive. —Stephanie Riegel